Treestands have been developed to position hunters or naturalists at elevated locations, such as in trees, from which undetected observation of wildlife may be accomplished. Typically, such devices are portable and include a seat platform for supporting the user's body. Occasionally, these devices also include a foot platform for supporting the user's feet and legs. During the hunting season, hunters alternate between the use of bows and rifles. Each of these hunting styles requires different requirements of location, position, aiming and movement. Accordingly, it is economical to employ a tree stand which is capable of converting from a bowstand, having an open front end to accommodate the bow and its use, to a stand having a rest surface and enhanced aiming or steadying capabilities.
Treestands have been developed which are capable of being converted between bowstand and rifle stand use configurations. However, these conventional treestands must be substantially disassembled to convert the stand from one use to another. Other treestands have a pivotal rear portion, disposed away from the tree, which can be pivoted from one position defining a rifle rest to a second position to accommodate bow hunting. However, since the rest surface is connected to the frame by a pivot, the surface may inadvertently move during use, thus, destroying the user's accuracy during firing.